This invention concerns the storage of carbonated or otherwise pressurised beverages and their dispensation from such storage means.
The storage of beverages in containers having a collapsible bag in a box is well known. They are particularly convenient for dispensing a small part of the total contents while preventing access of air to the remaining contents. Their convenience and cost effectiveness has led to the wide adoption of 2 to 20 liter versions of such containers in domestic applications, particularly for wines, and up to 20,000 liter and larger versions commercially. There has been a limited use of steel cans as a receptacle for the collapsible bag, but a cardboard box has proven to be the most popular type of receptacle for the bag. However despite the undoubted potential, to date a suitable container which provides the convenience of such “bag in a box” containers has not been available for carbonated beverages such as soft drinks, sparkling wines and beer.
If a conventional bag in a box configuration is used for dispensing carbonated beverages, as the liquid is used the bag remains inflated to the full volume of the box with an increasing volume of gas in the bag. This loss of gas from the liquid to the vapour space is at the cost of reduced carbonation of the liquid.
An object of the present invention is to provide a suitable container in a form which allows the dispensing of a small or large quantity of pressurised liquid at any time while maintaining the necessary pressure within the container at all stages of its emptying.